Music Review

22 November 2008 08:37 BST

Albert Hammond Jr: Yours To Keep

Rough Trade, October 9th.

In a nutshell…

Majestic, gentle, dulcet, New York.

What's it all about?

Albert Hammond Jr's debut solo record is a collection of intriguing pop songs, some of which could snug quite easily into The Strokes set list. However, those looking to find a new Strokes album will be disappointed, with a vast chunk of this album comprising of gentle and tuneful melodies.

Everyone Gets A Star, the download only single, along with 101 and Hard To Live In The City provide the closest thing to a track from Hammond's full time band. In contrast, album opener Cartoon Music For Superheroes is on a par with anything Brian Wilson conjured up on Smile. There's an epic backing drum beat, with a relaxed and tranquil vocal from Hammond, as he sings "Tell me what's it's like/tell me what you like".

In Transit sounds a lot like Modern Girls And Old Fashioned Men, a B-side of The Strokes' track Reptillia. However, there's no snarling yelp from Julian Casablancas and Hammond makes the tune his own, with yet more tractable beats and drawn out instrumentals. It stand's apart from the Casablancas penned rock n' roll and draws from a separate batch of influences.

Who's it by?

Albert Hammond Jr is the frizzy afro sporting guitarist in New York band The Strokes. A fan favourite, Hammond is the son of Albert Hammond, a hugely successful musician in his own right. The Strokes have recently finished touring their third record, First Impressions Of Earth, jettisoning them into yet higher stratospheres of global stardom.

Hammond's solo album aims to complement the work of The Strokes and allow him to explore different avenues of song writing, notably after much of his work was rejected by the rest of the band who chose to push on with their current formula. Understandably, Hammond isn't leaving the band and this solo record serves to expel the needs of a crucial element of The Strokes' sound.

As an example…

"I lost my way/that's what she said/back to the 101/If we won't know/somewhere to go/back to the 101." The one track that wouldn't sound out of place on Is This It, also proves to be the album highlight.

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

Hammond has successfully navigated the dark path of the 'solo' album. A journey littered with spikes and obstacles, one that has taken down many gifted artists who have chosen to wander off down an avenue of experimentalism and electro jazz fever. Yours To Keep highlights Hammond's obvious talent and gift for crafting a good pop song, surely one that will be grasped close to the NME's chest.

What the others say

"This album is far better than it has any right to be; an intimate, frequently beautiful and consistently surprising record that gets better with every listen." - NME

"Albert Hammond Jr isn’t going to change the world with this. It’s a decent enough offering from The Strokes guitarist with good bass and drums and a sound not a million miles away from his day job." - Gigwise

So is it any good?

Hammond's debut is a remarkable achievement. Often these 'side projects' can disappoint and unravel the very essence of what an artist has to offer. Yours To Keep certainly has its intricate moments, but always proves to be accessible and fulfilling. Scared, with backing vocals from Sean Lennon and Casablancas, proves to be a highly imaginative and uplifting track, wonderfully put together by the record's producer Greg Lattimer. Holiday is a song from a similar mould and demonstrates Hammond's perfectly able and layered vocal.

The album culminates with Hard To Live In The City, when Hammond borrows from his regular front man's croaky growl. A characteristic high speed guitar solo from Hammond produces a great sound and lyrically this tune proves to be an instantly likeable addition. There's no doubting that this final track, along with 101 and Everyone Gets A Star offer the most energetic songs that you can easily connect with.

Buts there's a wealth of other material on Yours To Keep that's well worth exploring. The mostly acoustic Blue Skies shows that a member of The Strokes can offer more than a great riff and a cool attitude. Bright Young Thing recreates Hammond's roaring vocal on Everyone Gets Star, an obvious asset that stands his voice out from others. There's no doubting Hammond can produce something truly great and Yours To Keep demonstrates this ably.

7/10

Karl Pike